Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-29
An Example of Lincoln's Eloquence.

In the Century Life of Lincoln is
quoted the following eloquent passage
from Lincoln's Lewiston speech of All
gust 18th, 1858. This speech was
made during the same canvass for the
Senate, but it was not one of the de-
bate speeches: 1.-The Declaration Of
independence was formed by the rep
resentatives of American liberty from
thirteen States of the Confederacy,
twelve of which were slave-holding
communities. We need not discuss
the way or the reason of their becom-
ing slave-holding communities. 1t is
sufficient for our purpose that all of
them greatly deplored the evil. and
that they placed u provision in the
Constitution which they supposed
would gradually remove the disease
by cutting off its source. This was
the abolition of the slave trade So
general was the conviction, the pub
lie determination, to abolish the Afri-
can slave trade. that the provision
which / have referred to as being
placed in the Constitution declared
that 1t should not be abolished prior
to the year 1903. A constitutional
provision was necessary to prevent
the people, through Congress, from
putting a stop to the traffic immedi-
ately at the close of the war. Now if
slavery had been a good thing, would
the Fathers of the Republic have
taken step calculated to diminish
its benefcent influence among them
selves, and snatch the boon wholly
from their posterity? These commu-
mites, by their representatives in
old Independence Hall, said to the
whole world of men: We hold these
truths to be self-evident: that all men
are created equal; that they are en-
dowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights; that among these
are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness This was their majestic
Interpretation of the economy of the
Universe. This was their lofty, and
wise, and noble understanding of the
justice of the Creator to his creatures.
Yes, gentlemen, to all his creatures, to
the whole great family of man. In
their enlightened belief, nothing
stamped with the Divine image and
likeness was sent into the world to be
trodden on and degraded, and inn
bruted by its fellows. They grasped
not only the whole race of man then
living, but they reached forward and
seized upon the farthest posterity
They erected beacon to guide their
children, and their children's chill
dren, and the countless myriads who
should inhabit the earth in other
ages. Wise statesmen as they were,
they knew the tendency of prosperity
to breed tyrants, and so they estab-
ljShed the great, self-evident truths,
that when i'll the distant future some
man. some faction, some interest,
should set up the doctrine that none
but rich men, or none but white men,
or none but Anglo-Saxon white men.
were entitled to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness, their posterity
might look up again to the Declaration
of Independence and take courage to
renew the battle which their fathers
began, so that truth and justice and
mercy and all the humane and Chris
tan virtues might not be extinguished
from the land; SO that no man would
hereafter dare to limit and circum-
scribe the great principles on which
the temple of liberty was being
built.
Now, my countrymen, if you have
been taught doctrines conflicting with
the great landmarks of the Declara-
ton of independence; if you have
listened TO suggestions which would
take away from its grandeur and mu-
tilate the fair symmetry OF its pro-
portions; if you have been inclined to
believe that all men are not created
equal in those inalienable rights emu
merated hy our chart of liberty, let
me entreat you TO come back. Return
to the fountain whose waters spring
close by the blood Of the Revolution.
Think nothing Of me-take no thought
for the political fate Of any man
whomsoever-but come back TO the
truths that are in the Declaration OF
independence. You may do anything
with me you choose, il you will but
heed these sacred principles. You
may not only defeSt me for the Senate,
but you may take and put me to
death. While pretending no indi1cr-
ence to earthly honors, / do claim to
be actuated in this contest by some
thing higher than an anxiety for
Office. ! charge you to drop every
paltry and Insignificant thought for
any mans success. IL is nothing; |
am nothing; Judge Douglas is roth
ing. But do not destroy the immor-
tai emblem of Humsnity-the Declar-
etion Of American Independence